1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for repairing damaged carpet. More particularly the invention concerns a method for repairing a burn in a carpet of the character having a base material supporting an upper fibrous pile.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Numerous methods have been proposed in the past for repairing damaged carpet. However, many of the prior art methods are costly, time consuming and require special tools to accomplish the repair. For example, a common prior art method for repairing carpet involves the passing of a rotary cutting tool down through both the pile layer and the layer of supporting material in manner to remove a circular core, or section, embodying the defect. The same cutter is then passed through an undamaged piece of spare carpet of the same color to obtain a circular section of the same size. The section of undamaged carpet is then bonded in place within the opening formed in the carpet where the damaged section was removed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,385 issued to Ronning is exemplary of this process.
Another prior art repair method involves the use of a specially designed under-cutting tool which removes an entire section of the pile from the base material in the area of the damage. The undercutiing tool is then used to undercut a section of undamaged pile from another area of the carpet, or from a spare piece of carpet. The undamaged under-cut section is then bonded to the base material in place of the damaged section which was removed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,384 issued to Ronning discloses the aforementioned method for carpet repair.
Other methods for repairing carpet and plastic materials include the use of specially designed cutting or coring tools which cut away the damaged area, leaving a hole therethrough. A backing material is then placed behind the hole and the backing material is covered with a curable patching compound or adhesive to which a section of undamaged material of identical size and shape is bonded.
The drawbacks of the prior art methods which require coring out a damaged section of carpet and replacing it with an undamaged cored section are several. In the first place, special tools, normally not available to the typical home owner, are required. Secondly, the core which is taken from the spare piece of carpet, or from a hidden location in the carpet, more often than not does not match the carpet pile in the area of the damage. This is because the color of the carpet in the area of the damage is typically faded and discolored from exposure to sunlight, dirt and wear. Additionally, the pile in the damaged area of the carpet is often matted and abraded providing a markedly different appearance from that of the new, unworn pile section used during the repair. Accordingly, when the new core section is bonded in place, it becomes at once apparent that repair has been attempted.
Another drawback of the prior art methods which involve the use of a coring tool reside in the inability to use the tool in certain locations. For example, when the carpeting in an automobile is burned or otherwise damaged, it may be very difficult to use the tool to cut a core section from the damaged carpet. If the damage is in the area of the drive train hump, which presents a curved surface to the coring tool, the coring out of the damaged section is difficult if not impossible. Similarly, if the damaged area is located proximate the vehicle brake or in a hard to reach corner, the coring tool may be usable, if at all, only with great difficulty.
The method of the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a method wherein no coring or other specialized tools are required. In accordance with the method of the present invention, individual fibers are selectively harvested using a razor blade or the like to replace the damaged fibers. By harvesting the individual fibers in selected locations immediately surrounding the damaged area, the fibers will exhibit the same degree of discoloration, fading and wear as the fibers in the location of the defect.
Harvesting of the fibers in accordance with the method of the present invention is readily accomplished by unskilled workman using a common razor blade or other sharp instrument. The fibers are preferably cut near their juncture with the base material so that when bonded in place in the damaged area they will have approximately the same height as the undamaged fibers in the surrounding area. By carefully implanting the fibers in a suitable clear-drying adhesive uniformly spread over the base material, the basic pattern of the pile in the carpet can be closely simulated and, if care is taken in the implanting process, the repaired area is virtually undetectable.